Monthly Archives: April 2014
Poker Training – A Flawed Model
Does Poker Training Work?
The poker training website model is broken for players. Here is why….
1) Incentives are seriously misaligned and training websites do not get paid based on the performance of their clients. Also, Variance often confuses clients as to which website is “helping” their game.
2) Poker training isn’t very profitable and many of them make their “real” money from staking, affiliate income, or some other source. As a result quality dwindles
3) “Buffet” style poker content doesn’t allow coaches to distinguish themselves based on quality and be compensated accordingly. As a result much of the content produced is just churned out and not high quality. Some new websites are going with a more a la carte system which is probably better IMO
4) Accountability does not exist in the industry and it is very difficult to determine who to learn from. This is further complicated by the fact that there are several ways to make money at online poker, so coaching styles naturally differ.
5) Falling Revenues has reduced the incentive for poker training sites to invest in the “brand”. As a result the quality of content has been reduced. Until we see growth in worldwide poker volumes and the US back in the game it is difficult to see this changing.
Representing your range
A lot of players get wrapped up in their own hand strength; they can’t do this or that because of their own hand. I would say this applies to a lot of players who have a terrible redline, they don’t fight for nearly enough pots, they don’t over-represent their range. Your hand matters not if you can convince your opponent of your perceived holding; that is what they think you might have. You just have to tell a believable story. Let’s run through a few common spots that you may have been passing up.
Common Poker Leaks
Poker leaks are expensive some more so than others of course. We have betting mistakes, calling leaks, passive leaks, aggressive leaks and of course tilt leaks. Whichever leak you have, poker leaks are costly. After years of talking to others players, coaches and having several thorough database analysis’s done, I’ve come up with my top 3 poker leaks. They are big blind spew at its finest and could be the reason the money you are winning is being lost in these common but not so obvious spots, resulting in a break even type of winrate. Most everyone who struggles to win at poker will likely have these following attributes:
Donk Betting In Poker – Unleashing The Power
Donk Betting has somewhat of a bad reputation. This is likely because donk betting is commonly associated with fish. Fish do this because they don’t know any better, but a smart regular uses it as part of his arsenal. However, the donk betting bluff can be extremely effective, as is done betting to induce a raise and donking to price your own draws. Dealing with players who are frequently done betting can be tricky too, so as always, we tailor our bets/raises to the individual for maximum +EV results.
The ‘Donk’ you shall no longer associate with stupidity, idiocy or numb-headedness. The Donk will now be your ally, another string in the bow… you get the idea : )
Poker Check-Raising
Poker Check-raising – revisited
Check-raising in Poker has become an increasingly sophisticated beast, both as the raiser and the recipient. The Flop check-raise semi-bluff is the most common you will have used and encountered, but adjusting to your opponent and disguising your draws is no longer a simple task. We also have value raising, air-raising, and information-raising to apply and contend with. They all have their place in the right situations, so let’s delve into the pros and cons in a few common scenarios and our likely responses.
Key: I’ll refer to a ‘check-raise’ as ‘CR’ from this point on – it’s shorter to write and read : )
CR with no made hand/draw as the Preflop caller
We were taught back in the day to always CR our draws on the Flop and while I check-raise a lot I don’t ‘auto’ CR my draws like many do. I like a CR when I figure to have good Fold Equity either outright or later.
Exploitive No Limit Holdem Now On Amazon
I am excited to announce that my book Exploitive No Limit Holdem is now available on Amazon.com. So far the feedback I have received on this book has been very positive.
You can see some great reviews on Exploitive No Limit Holdem here, here, and here. I will continue to sell the book on my own website as well for a discount 🙂 20% off. Here is the link to my product page for Exploitive No Limit Holdem.
If you have any questions about the book feel free to ask
-Paul (ThePokerCapitalist)